Lesotho Transitional ICSP (January 2018- June 2019)

T-ICSP approved in July 2017.

WFP Lesotho has prepared a Transitional Interim Country Strategic Plan (T-ICSP) covering the period from January 2018 to June 2019 in alignment with the upcoming National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) and the Lesotho UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) which will be effective as of 2019. WFP’s 18-month T-ICSP is based on: i) lessons learned and findings from the mid-term evaluation of WFP’s ongoing Country Programme in Lesotho; ii) consultations with the Government, donors and partners; and iii) the initial findings of the UN Lesotho Common Country Analysis Report 2017 (CCA)

Lesotho continues to struggle with a range of development challenges, including chronic poverty and food insecurity, unemployment, the second highest HIV prevalence in the world, and high levels of stunting. The 2015-2016 El Niño event has resulted in the worst drought in decades, triggering a sharp decline in food production and causing 491,000 people to require emergency food assistance.

The strategic approach proposed in this note is in line with the mid-term evaluation of WFP’s ongoing Country Programme which reiterates WFP’s crucial role in emergency response, though in ways that more carefully consider longer-term vulnerabilities, and recommends transitioning towards more technical assistance services over time.

WFP Lesotho’s vision for 2018 and 2019 follows two complementary directions: 1) continue the longer-term efforts to improve resilience in the most disaster-prone districts; and 2) further the capacity strengthening and transition to national ownership processes in the areas of social protection, food security analysis, education and nutrition.

This T-ICSP supports the Government in achieving the following strategic outcomes:

1. Households in chronically food insecure areas are able to meet their basic food and nutrition requirements throughout the year, including in times of shock.
2. School children in food insecure areas have access to nutritious food throughout the year.
3. Targeted populations in prioritized districts have improved nutritional status in line with national targets by 2023.

All strategic outcomes are in line with Lesotho’s 2012-2017 NSDP and Vision 2020, documents which reflect the country’s development aspirations, and are consistent with the CCA draft priorities (including reducing poverty, hunger and inequalities, and enhancing health and resilience).

WFP Lesotho will aim to significantly strengthen the capacity of the Government, its primary partner. Other main partners are the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Scaling Up Nutrition initiative (SUN) and the World Bank (WB), in addition to local and international NGOs and private sector companies